Lead Assignment Rules route incoming Leads to the right user or queue based on criteria — territory, source, industry. Web-to-Lead and Salesforce inbound API calls reference them automatically; manual creates only fire the rule if the user ticks the "Assign using active assignment rule" box on the New Lead form.
- Open Setup → Lead Assignment Rules
Setup → Quick Find: Lead Assignment Rules → Lead Assignment Rules.
- Click New Rule
Top-right.
- Set Rule Name and tick Active
Only one Lead Assignment Rule can be active at a time. Activating this one deactivates the previously active rule.
- Save, then click into the new rule → Rule Entries → New
Rule Entries are the individual routing rules. Order matters — the first matching entry wins.
- For each Rule Entry: set Order, Criteria, and Action
Order is the priority (1 = first). Criteria filters which Leads match. Action picks the User or Queue + optional Email Template.
- Save the Rule Entries
First matching entry wins — subsequent entries are skipped for that Lead.
- Confirm "Assign using active assignment rule" is on the New Lead layout
If it's on by default in your org, manual creates fire the rule. If not, only API/Web-to-Lead creates trigger it.
Priority of the entry within the rule. First match wins.
Field-Operator-Value rows that gate the entry. Or a formula via Filter Logic.
Where to route the matched Lead.
Optional — sends a notification to the new owner using this template.
When ticked, doesn't change ownership if the entry matches a Lead that already has an owner.
- Only one Lead Assignment Rule can be active at a time. To stage a new rule, build it inactive, then flip the Active checkbox — flips the previously active rule off automatically.
- Manual Lead creation does NOT fire the rule unless the user ticks "Assign using active assignment rule" on the New Lead screen. Many orgs add it to the page layout as default-on or build a Validation Rule that requires it.
- First matching entry wins. If two entries could match the same Lead, the first by Order takes it — design entries from most-specific to least-specific.